A$AP Rocky Pleads Not Guilty To Alleged Shooting Attempt Of A$AP Relli

A$AP Rocky pleaded not guilty Monday to charges stemming from an allegation that the rapper pulled a gun on a hip-hop artist during an altercation in Hollywood and then fired at him soon afterward during another confrontation just over two years ago. The 35-year-old entertainer -- whose real name is Rakim Mayers -- is charged with two counts of assault with a semiautomatic firearm, along with allegations that he personally used a firearm during the pair of confrontations with Terell Ephron the evening of Nov. 6, 2021. Mayers' attorney, Joe Tacopina, told reporters outside the downtown Los Angeles courthouse after the hearing that the defense hopes the case will go to trial by September, and said his client will be "vindicated." "I want to get this done and over so he can start enjoying his family and move on," Tacopina said. "We're going to be quiet and we're going to try this (case) in a courtroom and when we do, facts will come out that show that he's truly innocent and he's a victim in this case."

FOX 11

U-Haul Truck Used As Battering Ram During Smash-and-Grab Attempt

Surveillance cameras on a downtown L.A. business captured an attempted burglary as thieves in a U-Haul box truck plowed through the steel gate into the parking lot before trying to ram their way into the brick building. More than a dozen other masked suspects stood by hoping the driver of the truck could ram through the bicycle shop’s brick building. The incident, which happened at Just Ride Los Angeles, occurred over the weekend. The owner, identified only as Danny, said he’s never had anything this extreme happen to his shop.“Through our gate and into our storage to get through and get bicycles,” he told KTLA’s Jennifer McGraw. Just Ride has been in business for 15 years, selling bikes and scooters. While the would-be thieves didn’t get any of the shop’s merchandise, they still caused thousands of dollars worth of damage to a business that was already struggling. “We had one of our hardest years ever in the 15 years we’ve been in business, so this definitely doesn’t help,” Danny said. “It sucks, and I don’t even call this a small business anymore. We’re a micro-business in this day and age. We can barely pay our rent.”

Yahoo! News

Repeat Offender Arrested In San Fernando Valley Vandalism Spree

Authorities announced the man accused of vandalizing several businesses in the San Fernando Valley, several of them Jewish-owned, was arrested. The suspect was identified by investigators as 64-year-old Ed Delgado Wallace. Officials with the Los Angeles Police Department said the rock-throwing, window-smashing spree began over the weekend in Woodland Hills. Some of the businesses hit include a trophy and gift shop, a deli, a dance studio and a bakery. Wallace allegedly struck again Monday morning in Canoga Park, targeting an In-N-Out, a Sherwin-Williams, and a Big O Tires store. Online records show this was not the suspect's first run-in with the law for similar offenses. In 2018, Wallace was arrested in Albuquerque, New Mexico, for vandalizing 11 Mexican restaurants across the state. He allegedly threw rocks through windows and left a threatening note claiming retaliation against the Mexican mafia. Albuquerque police report that during his arrest, he threw an ax at an officer, narrowly missing the officer and striking a police car.

FOX 11

Evacuation Lifted At LAX Terminal After Suspicious Package Investigation

A suspicious package investigation closed an entrance to Los Angeles International Airport Monday morning and led to an evacuation at one of the airport terminals. The entrance to the horseshoe road was closed on the departures level for the investigation. Traffic was backed up outside the airport before the road reopened just before 11 a.m. Details about the item that led to the evacuation at Terminal 3 were not immediately available. "Police activity at Terminal 3 causing traffic impacts at upper level into the Central Terminal Area," LA Airport Police said in a post on X. "Lower level traffic into the airport will remain open." Video showed people gathered outside the terminals on the departures level. Travelers were allowed back inside the terminal after authorities gave the all-clear. 

NBC 4

Financial Advisor Accused Of Defrauding Elderly Clients And Adults With Special Needs

A financial advisor is accused of stealing millions from her elderly and special needs clients and police need help finding additional victims. The Los Angeles Police Department arrested Donna Bogdonovich for felony fraud after a 14-month investigation allegedly uncovered multiple grand thefts. Bogdonovich was a licensed fiduciary for the State of California, a financial manager legally obligated to manage someone else's money and property for the client's benefit. As outlined by the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau, fiduciaries have four basic duties: to act in their clients' best interests, manage their money and property carefully, to separate clients' money from their own or someone else’s, and to keep good records. Bogdonovich managed special needs trusts and conservatorships. She's accused of stealing $2.5 million. Police believe there are other victims. Anyone with information connected to the case should contact Detective III Adriano at (818) 374-9420. Anonymous tips may be submitted to LA Regional Crime Stoppers at 1(800) 222-8477 or through their website.

CBS 2

LA Councilman Curren Price Pleads Not Guilty To Corruption Charges

Los Angeles City Councilman Curren Price pleaded not guilty Monday to charges of theft by embezzlement, perjury and conflict of interest for allegedly voting on projects involving developers tied to his wife's consulting firm, then failing to report the connections. Price entered his plea after Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Craig Richman rejected the defense's legal challenge to the 10 charges against the councilman. Defense attorneys contended in a court filing that the five counts of grand theft by embezzlement against Price are "barred by the statute of limitations." The defense also contends that the allegations in the complaint are "insufficient to allege a crime" involving the two conflict-of-interest charges, and that the facts stated in the complaint involving the three perjury charges do not constitute a public offense." The prosecution has countered that the defense's challenge should be denied. Deputy District Attorney Casey Higgins wrote in his response that the defense's challenge was "unsupported by the law and meritless." He added that the prosecution is not barred by the statute of limitations because "the prosecution was initially commenced on June 13, 2023, which was within four years after the completion of the offenses" involving five of the challenged charges.

NBC 4

Vandals Destroy Headstones, Steal Plaques From Compton Cemetery

Vandals left a trail of destruction at a Compton cemetery after they destroyed dozens of headstones and stole plaques from multiple final resting places. "This is not right, Woodlawn, we want love and peace," owner Celestina Bishop said. "This is not peaceful this is not loving." Bishop, who funds the upkeep of the Woodlawn Celestial Gardens, discovered the shattered remains of many grave sites last Thursday. She believes that a team of culprits cut through a fence and started smashing grave markers. The vandals wanted the bronze from the tombstones in order to flip to recyclers. "Why where? Why anywhere?" Bishop said. "This is supposed to be sacred land and people are supposed to be at eternal rest." The historic memorial park houses more than 900 veterans from as far back as the War of 1812 to Operation Desert Storm. Bishop claimed that the settlers of the city are also buried at Woodlawn. "I realized today that my mother and my sisters have a bronze headstone," Bishop said. "I told my husband my mom needs a new headstone because I'd rather be the one that picks it up than have someone destroy it."

CBS 2

Man Sentenced For Violent Armed Robbery Spree Across Los Angeles County

A man was sentenced to 27 years in prison for a violent armed robbery spree across Los Angeles County. Justin Washington, 34, from Gardena, was convicted for targeting nearly a dozen businesses at gunpoint during a five-day crime spree in 2020, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office. At the time, Washington had been released on parole after a 10-year sentence for armed robbery and possession of a deadly weapon. In September 2020, less than two months after his release, Washington murdered a rival gang member, authorities said. Then from Nov. 30 to Dec. 4, 2020, Washington targeted 10 businesses in the South Bay and South L.A. area in an armed robbery spree. Victimized businesses included a grocery store, a 7-Eleven, multiple donut shops, a veterinarian’s office, a mobile phone store, a dry cleaner business, and a Baskin-Robbins. During the robbery of a Torrance donut shop on Dec. 2, 2020, Washington reportedly pointed a gun at a store employee before striking them in the head, authorities said. He then forced the victim into a back office before tying up their hands.

KTLA 5

Union Calls For Imprisonment Of NYPD Officer’s Killer After Several Arrests And Releases While On Parole

The NYC Police Benevolent Association is calling for a man convicted of killing a police officer to go back behind bars, the New York Post reported. “The revolving door in this case is an absolute travesty to our justice system,” PBA President Patrick Hendry told The Post. Bruce Lorick was convicted of shooting and killing NYPD Officer Joseph Keegan in 1980, according to the report. He served 40 years in prison before being released on parole in 2021. Since his initial release, he has been arrested four times and released three times. His recent arrests since his 2021 release include retail theft, criminal contempt and strangulation charges, according to the report. Legal Aid Society attorneys filed a suit in the Bronx Supreme Court on Dec. 29 to free Lorick following his most recent arrest on Dec. 22 for drug possession charges, according to the report. “Legal Aid’s own filing for the release of this cop killer clearly shows that he is incapable of leading a law-abiding life and that he has no business being released into a civilized society,” Hendry told the Post.

PoliceOne

Ohio Officer Hospitalized After Suspect’s Vehicle Lands On Top Of Cruiser During Pursuit

A man reportedly shot at officers Monday morning before crossing U.S. 35 to hit two cruisers in Dayton after police say he struck a family member with his pickup truck in Trotwood. Officers fired multiple shots at the man, who was taken to a local hospital along with a Trotwood police officer injured in a head-on crash, said Trotwood police Chief Erik Wilson. The Trotwood officer was inside one of the cruisers that was hit by the suspect’s vehicle. Wilson said he does not believe the officer was hit by gunfire. A Montgomery County Sheriff’s cruiser also was hit by the vehicle, but the deputy able to get out just before the collision. Both the suspect and the Trotwood officer were taken to the hospital. Information on their conditions were not available, but Wilson said the officer is expected to survive. No one was shot by the suspect who was armed with a long gun and shooting out of his pickup during the pursuit, the chief said. The incident started at 10:54 a.m. when Trotwood police were called to the Voyager Village mobile home park off West Third Street ( U.S. 35 ). When officers arrived, they found an injured woman who had been hit by a vehicle driven by a relative, the chief said.

Dayton Daily News

L.A. Hospital Seeks Help Identifying Unknown Patient

A hospital in downtown Los Angeles is seeking the public’s help in identifying a patient who was recently found unresponsive near 1524 S. Broadway St. in Los Angeles. The patient is described as a Black male with black hair and brown eyes and is about 50 years old. He stands about 5 feet 10 inches or 5 feet and 11 inches and weighs about 195 pounds, according to a news release. The man had no ID documentation when he was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday, a hospital spokesperson said. Anyone who recognizes this man is urged to contact 213-507-5495 or 213-742-5511.

KTLA 5

LA City Council Resumes Business Following Winter Recess

Following three weeks of winter recess, the Los Angeles City Council is set to resume its business Tuesday — and on the first day back, council members will discuss issues around homelessness and housing. Council members are scheduled to discuss a proposed lease extension for A Bridge Home interim housing site located at 3210 and 3248 Riverside Drive. People Assisting the Homeless, PATH, has operated the facility near Griffith Park for the city. Additionally, the council is expected to receive two reports — the first providing details on the city’s preservation program, which is aimed at protecting properties that are at risk of losing affordability restrictions; and the second focusing on the city’s efforts to prevent homelessness. The council’s Housing and Homelessness Committee reviewed the reports with staff last year. Council members will decide whether to move forward with recommendations to fund an expanded preservation program. They will also consider designating a city department to lead the city’s homelessness prevention programs, as well as to ensure those prevention efforts are being properly managed to support residents.

MyNewsLA

About the LAPPL: Formed in 1923, the Los Angeles Police Protective League (LAPPL) represents more than 8,900 dedicated and professional sworn members of the Los Angeles Police Department. The LAPPL serves to advance the interests of LAPD officers through legislative and legal advocacy, political action and education.